Rugby League | Catalans Dragons 6 - 34 Hull KR

Hull KR back on track after win over Catalans

Mikey Lewis returned to orchestrate a commanding Hull KR performance in the south of France, ending the Super League leaders’ two-game losing run with a convincing win at Catalans Dragons.

Author | Oliver W

The reigning Man of Steel, absent in recent defeats due to a head injury, scored twice and laid on another for Jack Broadbent as the Robins extended their lead at the top of the table to four points. That cushion was made possible by a surprise defeat for second-placed Wigan earlier on Saturday.

Lewis had been sorely missed in losses to Leeds and Leigh, but it was not just his presence that proved decisive here. Hull KR also tightened up defensively, having conceded more points in those two defeats than in the previous seven matches combined. Against a faltering Catalans side, that resolve was rarely tested.

Joe Burgess added a brace and Broadbent crossed twice as well, with Romain Navarrete providing a solitary reply for the hosts. Catalans, who have now won just once in 10 outings, struggled to break down a resolute Rovers defence and were the architects of their own downfall at times.

Tyrone May shrugged off a soft tackle to release Broadbent for the opener, before Lewis expertly picked out Hiku with a lobbed kick the Catalans full-back fumbled under pressure. Soon after, Lewis latched on to a Sam Luckley offload to score his first, and while two video reviews denied him a first-half hat-trick, the signs were ominous for the hosts.

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Burgess stretched the lead after the break from a Broadbent pass, before the centre claimed his second thanks to more clever work from Lewis.

Catalans briefly rallied when Alrix da Costa's kick was grounded by Navarrete, but the contest slipped away in the closing stages. Two errant passes from Cesar Rouge proved costly, the first of which was hacked forward and finished by Lewis, who now has 17 tries this season. Burgess pounced on the second to complete the rout.

With four points now separating them from the chasing pack, Hull KR’s grip on the League Leaders’ Shield looks increasingly firm.

Fan reaction

One Hull KR travelled to France for the match and told us: "Credit to Catalans for giving everything. After the Challenge Cup defeat, it didn't look that way for a few games, but they seem to have got their heads together again. Pleased with the 2 points, especially after FC's great win. I thought we were guilty of trying a bit too hard at times after recent results cost a few points, but it was a big improvement. We now move a step closer to getting that League Leaders Shield and then, hopefully the Super League crown itself."